Vascular shunts have been utilized in surgical procedures for by-passing a section of a blood vessel. Such vascular shunts channel blood flow from the heart into a tubular passageway past a section of a blood vessel upon which surgery is to be performed. The blood is reintroduced into the same or a different blood vessel at a downstream location, thereby by-passing a portion of the blood vessel to enable that portion to be surgically repaired.
Also, in typical blood flow measuring devices, flow data measurements are obtained as operational intelligence tools. Many costly, delicate, and complex methods exist for scientific or medical investigation of steady and unsteady blood flow during a surgical procedure. However many conventional devices are expensive, complex, or otherwise are not wholly satisfactory.